Communication and Collaboration

     As the semester progresses, I am certainly learning many new ways to use technology in education.  The educational tools for communication and collaboration seem to be endless.  I have found great value in programs such as google drive and wikis in regard to working in groups to revise documents.  Based on the videos Dr. May has posted, as well as other sources  regarding these programs, it seems there is some overlap between google drive and wikis.  However, google drive seems to offer many more applications.  As with any technology, more options can also lead to more confusion when collaborating with a group.  Depending on the goal of the project, a wiki may be more straightforward, even though it has fewer options.  Google drive also has a mobile app available, providing easy access for those who frequently work on the go.  Here is a link to elaborate on the possibilities google drive offers.  PBworks also offers an educational edition that is specifically focused on meeting the goals of academic wiki needs.   Click on this pbworks link to get connected to more wiki resources.

Additionally, in the past two weeks, the presentation exercise was very educational for me.  I chose to use Prezi for my presentation.  While there was a bit of a learning curve for me initially, once I got the hang of it, my presentation came together without too much trouble.   I will say, I found it to be easier to utilize prezi from my Mac desktop than my windows based laptop.    I am not sure if the operating system was the greatest influencing factor, or if just the fact that a desktop was easier for me.  The voice recording function was also much easier on my desktop computer.  I posted my prezi in a separate blog entry, just for my own ease of reference, but here is the prezi link again, just in case you missed it.  This assignment was also very beneficial to me, as I got to see multiple types of presentation technologies in action by viewing my classmates' presentations.    I particularly enjoyed Jessica Clendenen's screencast presentation, Mercier Cooney's prezi and Erin Hoying's prezi, all for various reasons.   The screencast presentation is something I have not used before, and believe to be particularly useful in the academic setting.  Jessica did a nice job with the demonstration of how to use the technology, as well as the educational content of the presentation as well.  Mercier jazzed up her prezi with some snappy music, and Erin embedded video.  These tools were engaging and serve to improve the learner's attention to the content.  I certainly plan to try these formats and tools both in my personal academic endeavors as well as my teaching.